Refrigerator latch



May 5, 1942. `s. w. PARsQNs REFRIGERATOR LATCH Filed Aug. l, 1940woe/who@ STUART WPARJQNS Patented May 5, 1942 UNlTEB-f STATES PATENTREFRIGERATOR LATCH Application August 1, 1940,'Serial No. 349,263

5 Claims.

The presentA invention relates to refrigerator latches and hasparticular reference to latches of the type having a stationary boltfixed to the door and a manually operable bolt keeper mounted on thedoor jamb in latchable alignment With the bolt. v

t is an object of this invention to provide a compact structure of thistype whichv can be mounted on the exterior of the door and door jamb.-in a relatively small space.

A still further object is. t0 combine. the latch casing and the manuallyoperable handle for manually releasing the latch in a single part ormember.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch of this typehaving a minimum number of parts which can be simply and inexpensivelymanufactured, quickly assembled and thereafter easily installedandoperated.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in f part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exempliedin the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the applicationof which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 shows a. plan view of the manually operated latch andcooperating latch bolt, ref spectively mounted on the refrigerator doorjamb and door;

Fig. 2 is a top or profile View of the structure illustrated in Figurel;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View of the latch assembly taken from theline 3 3 of Figure 1';

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken through the line liv- 4 of Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken through the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;and

Fig. 6 is a perspective View illustrating the means for non-rotatablysecuring the pin relative to the latch casing.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated generally a refrigeratorlatch. operable mounted on a refrigerator door jamb J and latchablyengageable with a latch bolt B rigidly secured to the refrigerator doorD. The latch includes a mounting plate F secured to the jamb and supendsof the wall IS adjacent thebase Il), and` pivotally supports the flanges2l) of the keeper K for pivotal movement of the keeper from latched tounlatched position. p

The keeper K includes, in4 addition to the side iianges 20, a top Wall22 and a. rear wall 24.

The walls 22v and 24 together with the flanges 2l)` define a bolt.receiving and latching recess 26.`

In` order to limit the pivotal travel of the keeper to unlatchedposition, there' are provided a pair of ears 35i extending outwardlyfrom, the rear edges of the keeper ilanges 210 andlocated in a pair cfoppositelyfdisposed notched recessesy il.`

in the side walls I of the moiuiting plate. The rear shoulders 3d of thenotches 32 engage the ears Sil and prevent further rearward move ment ofthe keeper when it isretracted to ,unlatch the door. For greatercompactness in the latch assembly the base i0 of the mounting isprovided with spaced slots 38 in which the lower ends of the keeperanges 2li are located. By providing the slots 38 it is unnecessary tolocate the sleeve I8 away from the mounting plate base l0 in allowingfor sufficient operating clearance between the flanges and the outersurfacek Il of the base l0. To resiliently urge the keeper to itsforwardmost or latching position, a T shaped positioning tongue 4i) issecured at one end in a slot 42 in the mounting base Ill and is slidablysupported at its other end in a similar slot 413 in the keeper. A heavyspring 46 is located on the tongue 4D and is compressed between the arms48 thereof and the keeper, whereby the keeper is normallyY urged in acounterclockwise direction to latching position as illustrated in Figs.2 and 3.

As heretofore indicated the latch assembly includes a casing C whichprovides both a protective cover for the latch and manually operablemeans for retracting the keeper. The member C comprises a substantiallyrectangular casing having a top wall 5i), rear wall 52 and side walls54. The pin P is nonrotatably secured outwardly in the side Walls 54adjacent the forward edges thereof by a tongue and slot'connection 56(see Fig. 6) and is rotatably supported in the sleeve I8 so as topivotally support the casing relative to the mounting F and the keeperK. A light spring 58 is compressed between the top wall 50 of the casingand the base IIJ of the mounting for normally urging the casing in acounterclockwise direction as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

To prevent further counterclockwise rotation of the casing beyond thelatching position and restrain the casing in the desired position theside walls 54 are provided with a pair of stump studs 60 which engagethe forward shoulders 62 of the notches 32. As heretofore indicated thekeeper K is likewise urged in a counterclockwise direction towardslatching position by the heavyV spring 46. The keeper is normallyretained thereat by the engagement of the forward edges 64 of its sidenanges 20 with cooperating flanges 66 extending inwardly from theadjacent forward edges of the casing.

Referring to Fig. 2, the door D is opened by l manually pressing on thetop wall 50 of the casing. The engagement of the casing flanges 66 withthe keeper K forces the keeper to pivot with the casing to unlatchedposition, and thereby releases the latch bolt B allowing the door to beforward portion of the top casing wall 50 is cut 'n' away to provide anelongated notch 68 extending the width of the keeper through which thelatch bolt can pass. With this construction, when the door D is swung toclosed position the camming surface 'lll of the bolt engages the strike`edge 12 of the keeper forcing it rearwardly against the action of thespring 46. The nose 14 of the bolt passes through the notch 68 withoutcamming the casing rearwardly and the light spring 58 retains the casingin its forward or latching position. When the nose 'I4 of the boltclears the strike edge 12 the spring 46 forces the keeper forwardly andlatchably engages the bolt in the keeper recess 26.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features ofthe invention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a refrigerator latch of the character described a mounting securedto a door jamb, a sleeve rotatably secured in the mounting, a latch boltkeeper pivotally mounted on the sleeve and having a recess for latchablyreceiving a latch bolt secured to a door, resilient means for urging thekeeper to latching position, a casing substantially enclosing themounting and the keeper, a pin in the sleeve pivotally supporting thecasing relative to the mounting and the keeper, means on the casingnormally engaging the mounting to retain the casing in latchingposition, and means on the casing normally engaging the keeper to retainthe keeper in latching position and to retract the keeper to unlatchedposition when the casing is pivotally retracted.

2. A refrigerator latch of the character described, a mounting, arecessed latch bolt keeper pivotally secured to the mounting, resilientmeans for urging the keeper to latching position, and a combinationcasing and operating member pivotally supported on the mounting andengageable with the mounting and the keeper for retaining the keeper' inlatching position and for pivotally retracting the keeper to unlatchedposition.

3. In a refrigerator latch of the character described a mounting, alatch bolt keeper pivotally secured to the mounting and having a recessfor latchably receiving a latch bolt, resilient means for urging thekeeper to latching position, and a casing pivotally secured to themounting and to the keeper and substantially enclosing said mounting andsaid keeper, means on said casing engaging said mounting and said keeperfor normally retaining said keeper and said casing in latching positionand for manually retracting said keeper to unlatched position when saidcasing is retracted.

4. In a refrigerator latch of the character described including amounting secured to a door jamb, a latch bolt keeper pivotally securedto the mounting and engageable` with a latch bolt mounted on a door,resilient means for urging the keeper to latching position, a. casingpivotally supported on the mounting and engageable with the mounting andthe keeper for normally retaining the keeper and the casing in latchingposition and for pivotally retracting the keeper to unlatched positionwhen the casing is pivotedV to unlatched position, and resilient meansfor retaining the casing in latching position when the keeper is forcedto unlatched position by engagement with the latch bolt.

5. In a refrigerator latch of the character described a mounting securedto a door jamb, a latch bolt keeper pivotally secured to the mountingand latchably engageable with a latch bolt secured to a door, resilientmeans for urging the keeper to latching position, a casing pivotallysecured to the mounting and substantially enclosing the mounting and thekeeper, means connecting the casing and the mounting for normallyretaining the casing in latching position, means connecting the keeperand the casing for normally retaining the keeper in latching positionand for retracting the keeper to unlatched position when the casing isretracted, and resilient means for retaining the casing in latchingposition when the keeper is retracted by engagement with the latch bolt.

STUART W. PARSONS.

